Clamping tool for flooring



P 1947' Y J. H. FLIEMING E'I'AL 2,427,268

CLAMPING TOOL FOR FLOORING Filed Feb. 19, 1946 llilllll Patented Sept.9, 1947 U;N-ITED [STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE James H. Fleming and iamesflk.Sisk,

Elberton, Ga.

Application February 19, 1946, Serial No. 648,164!) elements in closecontact withother'elements, as

is desirable inlaying-flooring, ceiling, blocks or other material, wherea: close joint is required and there are crackst'o be: eliminated asnearly as practicable before the elements are secured to joists ortheirbases of building structures.

An object of theinvention is to produce a device havingan-anchoring-means which engages a joist orother element on which theflooring or ceiling is to be attached by nailing or other:- wise, thesaid device having an arm, the end of which engages the member to beforced into juxtaposition or contact with; the previously laid floor orceiling. member; the said arm. and anchoring means. beingpivotallyconnected: to a lever on. opposite. sides. of. the fulcrum {Ofthe lever, so that when the lever is manipulated, it exerts force onthese two members in opposite directions and is eifective to press theflooring or ceiling element into close contact with the previously laidelement while it is being secured by nailing or other means.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the partsare held in their adjusted positions while the securing of the elementunder pressure is accomplished, all of which foregoing instrumentalitiesare associated with a base on which the lever is mounted.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a device of thischaracter which comprises comparatively few, inexpensive parts that haveproven eflicient and satisfactory in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth nd claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and inwhich:

Figure 1 illustrates a view in side elevation of a base and mounting forthe lever and accompanying parts, the same being partly in section;

Figure 2 illustrates a plan View thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a View of one end thereof, partly in section; and

Figure 4 illustrates a view in elevation of the opposite end, partly insection.

In these drawings l denotes a base having spaced cheek pieces 2 and 3,preferably integral therewith, and extending thereabove. A pivot or pin4 extends through the cheek pieces, and a 1 Claim. (01. 254+1Ba) lever 5is pivoted onthesaid pin. The edges of the cheekpieces. are-,inclinedsorbeveled. and. they are'serrated toformteeth B. which are engaged by:adetent. .l, to; be presently explained, which serves to hold theleyer indifferent positions of adjustment, according: to, the location of thedetent. whichengagesv the teeth on; the edges of the cheek pieces. 7

. The;lever. 5' has-a suitable handle at theouterend anditscinner endwhich extends beyond the pivotisrpreferably bifurcated, as. at 8. A-dog9 oranchoring member; is mounted on a pivot, It. extending throughthefurcations of the inner end o1the:lever-, and the said dog has clawsor spurs-1 Isl whichimpinge the support for the floor board or. memberto; be; laid, whereas an. arm l2 hasitsrinnervend mountedon-a pivot I3extending througlrthelever, andthe outer end-of said arm is enlarged toform a head M which is faced for engaging the edge of a floor board orblock which is to be pressed into contact or engagement with apreviously laid part to which the floor board or forced into a supportso that it forms a fulcrum by which the members 9 or [2 may be employed,as will presently appear, and when so used, the handle and theaccompanying parts will be removed from the pivot 4 and for the timebeing the base will not be used, it being apparent that the parts may bere-assembled in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 1. The basewhen in use prevents heeling, turning, buckling or upsetting of the toolwhen pressure is applied or when the tool is locked in position, and isadvantageous for use in any locations or situations when the device canbe installed in its entirety.

In addition to the foregoing, the outer end of the handle is curved, asat l8, so that it may be pressed by the knee of an operator forretaining the parts in operative positions While the member to befastened is secured by nailing or the like; and the outer end of thehandle is furthermore provided with a nail notch 19 of any appropriateconfiguration. From the foregoing, it is evident that when the claws areapplied to a joist or other support for the flooring or blocks and thehead 54 is in engagement with an element such as a flooring board to beforced into place, movement of the lever in a clockwise direction willserve to imbed the claw so that a firm anchorage is had for holding thebase against movement, and the lever will force the head I4 against theelement to be laid and at the same time it will prevent buckling of theelement while moving it into close engagement with the previouslysecured element of the flooring, ceiling, or the like, and when thedetent engages the teeth, the parts will be held against movement whilethe floor board or element is secured in place, although the operatormay press on the outer curved end of the handle and manually retain thehandle against, movement.

In further explanation of the utility of the equipment, it is seen thatthe lever is detachable so that it may be used with the base in laying aflooring and such like material, but may be detached from the base touse in overhead or side wall operations. The lever swings freely in thebase and its inner end is pointed and it may be used without the base,in which event it may be driven into the sub-surface and provide ananchorage so that the required pressure may be exerted in the laying ofmaterial overhead or on side walls or other operations where the base isnot practical. It is seen that the member 9 which is pivoted to theinner end of the lever has prongs, claws or spurs l I which penetratethe sub-surface and as the main lever is moved backward to operate themember l2, the material is pushed into place and the spurs are driveninto the sub-surface more firmly to supply a point of leverage and holdthe tool in proper place for its purpose. The member ['2 which may bealso termed a jack is designed to push the timber 4 or other materialinto place and close the crack between the timber or other materialbeing placed.

We claim:

A clamping device of the character described comprising a base havingspaced cheek pieces, a pivot extending through the space between thecheek pieces and supported by said cheek pieces, a lever oscillatablymounted on the pivot and having a handle at one end, the opposite end ofthe lever extending beyond the said pivot, a dog pivotally mounted on anend of the lever having means for anchoring it in place, an arm on thelever on the opposite side of the pivot, said arm having means at itsend for engaging the edge of a floor board to be pressed into place,means for holding the lever at different positions of adjustment, thehandle and parts attached thereto being demountable from the base, andthe handle having an end forming an anchorage for the manipulation ofthe lever and the operation of the arm carried by the lever, the saidhandle also having a curved outer end with a fiat surface to be engagedby the operator for holding the lever in operative position while themember engaged by the arm is being secured.

JAMES H. FLEMING. JAMES T. SISK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,401,214 Watson Dec. 2'7, 1921366,446 Bayer July 12, 1887 849,997 Helm Apr, 9, 1907

